Obsession, Control, And The Dark Side Of Humanity
by Barra Arisa Sanguine
Summary: Obsession is a dangerous thing. Bella and Edward believe in true love and it's power, but what happens when they meet a pair of humans who are their opposites in every way? What happens when the Cullens want to save the innocent from the monster?
1. Anything But Love

**A/N: **I swear none of the cannon characters will end up with the two OCs. There will be mentions of a slash/yaoi/same sex relations between two legally adult men. As per the rules there will be no graphic sex scenes. E-mail me at Gold_Eyes_And_Sakura yahoo . com for these scenes. The two OCs are not vampires, have no idea about them, are not related to any of the Cullens, and have no connection with them before this story begins. If you want to know more about the two OCs you can find out about them from here: http : // kiirynil . proboards . com /index . cgi ?board =now &action= display &thread=74 &page=1 Just take the spaces out. Any spelling mistakes are my fault and I've run this through Word so, there shouldn't be any, if there are tell me and I'll fix it ASAP.

**Words:** 3,055

**Prompt: **None I can think of, for once.

_**Disclaimer:**_If I owned the Twilight books I'd have said 'Forget the leak of _Midnight Sun_, I'm writing it anyway. Deal with it people.' I only own Mareo Miyamoto and his family, my friend Willow owns Akeno. She also has no clue I'm writing this right now, so deal with it if his personality changes a hair here and there as I get more input from her.

Forks was ablaze with gossip for weeks on end when new people moved to town. In such a small place where little happened new people meant new news and new news meant more gossip. Isn't that the way with small towns? It seems the average small town has more gossiping old birds than any other place in the world, Forks had to be in the top five of that unwritten list.

The latest occupants of the small town were two men. That in itself wasn't the cause for gossip, after all what's so special about two men? What did cause tongues to wag though was the age difference between the two. One man was older - middle-aged - while the other was no more than a senior in high school, if that. The two didn't look enough alike to be father and son, the home they bought only had one bedroom in it (or so said Jessica Stanley who's mother was the real estate agent in Forks). If that wasn't enough for the gossipers in town there was the fact that the younger of the two looked almost sickly with skin pale enough to rival the Cullen family's. However, the pair stayed to themselves, seeking no one out, but were quite nice when neighbors came over to welcome them or someone spoke to either of the pair on the street. There was something off about the pair of them, no matter how friendly and kind the older one was or how polite and quiet the younger was.

August fifteenth was a Wednesday and the first day of school for everyone in the small town of Forks. Even the teenagers were gossiping about what happened that summer and these new people. Some plotted on dating the new student, on befriending him, and less kind people targeted him already for a teacher's pet and a suck-up. At seven o'clock sharp, the students were still milling about the parking lot avoiding going into the dreaded Hell hole known as high school before they absolutely had to. A sharp black Lexus pulled up to the curb by the side of the school building, the windows were tinted so dark you couldn't see anyone inside the vehicle. It was a few moments before the new kid got out, slowly, reaching back inside to grab his back pack, before closing the door and waving as the car drove away.

The new student's name was Akeno Miyamoto. He was eighteen, and in his senior year of high school. Akeno, as his name implied, was Asian, Japanese to be exact and had the features of his native country. Black hair fell long, a little past his shoulders in waves, hiding a silver cross on a chain that dangled from his right ear. His eyes were a pale gray, lined in black, almond-shaped, and slightly slanted, revealing his mixed heritage. A slightly up-turned pug nose rested above a pair of pale, cupid's bow shaped lips that looked as though he often bit them. He was dressed modestly, dark blue jeans that were comfortably worn, black sneakers, a matching T-shirt of the same hue as his shoes, and a blue jean jacket that was obviously a size or two too large for him. Swinging his back pack over one shoulder and sticking the other into his pocket the quiet teenager walked past his staring peers and entered the school building, easily hearing the gossip beginning behind his back as soon as he past.

Entering the main building Akeno entered the office to be met by one Bella Swan behind the desk, helping the secretaries out for the day. "Hello," His voice was quiet and Bella found herself leaning forward to hear him better. "I'm Akeno Miyamoto, I was wondering about my schedule." He seemed withdrawn and quiet, it made Bella slightly jumpy. The only other people she'd met that were that quiet were the Cullens and the rogue vampires. A quick glance up showed her that Akeno's eyes were a pale gray and not the tell tale red or gold or even black of an unfed vampire. She let out a breath of relief and handed him his schedule.

"If you need any help," She locked eyes with the new student, who glanced away quickly, like a frightened rabbit who'd caught a fox staring. "Finding your classes or understanding the material or something. I'm free." She offered him a kind smile which Akeno hesitantly returned, though his eyes continued darting back and forth. "I remember when I was new and how overwhelming everything was." She offered, making sure that Akeno understood she was being nice, not pitying or wanting his attention.

"Ah," He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, hand that wasn't holding his schedule reaching into his pocket and toying with whatever was inside. "That would be nice, thank you very much, ma'am." He was overly polite and it made Bella's cheeks tint. "Do you know where," he glanced down at the paper. "Biology with Patterson is?" He spoke slowly as if having trouble reading the small, printed words on the paper in his hand.

Bella smiled indulgently at Akeno. "I can show you if you like. I have him first class as well." She paused and gestured to the paper. "If I may?" Akeno handed her the paper, withdrawing his hand as soon as she had a grasp of the paper, as if he was afraid of touching her. Pushing the worries out of her mind and masking the small frown on her face, Bella's brown eyes gazed down at the paper. "We have the same schedule. If you don't mind following me around all day, I can help you with class." She smiled at him again, trying to be friendly.

Akeno took the paper back and offered her a small, tired smile. "Ah, thank you very much. I'm Keno." The bell rang signaling the five minute passing period had begun.

"Bella, Bella Swan." Bella answered, picking up her own bag and leaving the protection that standing behind the desk had offered.

The pair left the office and walked to biology, Jessica, Angelia, and Mike finding their way to Bella's side and accosting Akeno with all kinds of questions.

"What's your name?"

"How old are you?"

"Where are you from?"

"Who's that guy you live with?"

"What's your name?"

"Why'd you come to Forks?"

"Do you know anyone yet?"

"Want to hang out at lunch?"

"What subjects do you like?"

"Have a girlfriend?"

Akeno seemed to withdraw farther into himself as more as their voices increased and the trio advanced around him. "I-I'm Keno." His voice was even quieter than it was when he'd spoken to Bella in the office and she had to strain to hear him, even though they were walking side-by-side. "I'm eighteen. I'm from Tokyo, Japan. His name is Mareo, he's my guardian. Mareo got a job in Port Angeles at a bank there. I just met Bella. I don't know. Creative writing and swimming. No and I'm not looking for a relationship." While Akeno answered all of the questions, he left details out and gave minimalistic answers, with the exception of the last question. His voice took on a harder tone that made Bella inch away from him, it appeared he wasn't going to take lightly anyone asking about his private life.

Upon reaching the biology class Bella sat at her usual table, waiting for Edward, while her friends separated to their own tables and Akeno had a word with Mr. Patterson. He sat at his own table, placing his back pack on the stool next to him, obviously wanting to ward off anyone sitting with him. Edward entered the room and offered Bella a smile, glancing at the new student, a frown marring his features. Bella recognized that look, it was the same one that he had given her when he couldn't read her mind. He sat down next to Bella and continued to stare at the new student for a few long moments. Akeno sank lower into his chair, though he didn't glance at Edward, he looked as if he was trying to make himself smaller in hopes of being ignored.

"Edward," Bella finally hissed, causing the vampire to break his unblinking golden gaze and look at her. "You're scaring him." The girl frowned at her boyfriend, reprimanding him.

Edward continued to frown. "He's the same as you, but its different." He spoke softly as Mr. Patterson called roll and began going over their semester syllabus. "With you its blank, with him its like swimming through darkness. Be careful." His lips barely moved when he spoke, hand flashing across the paper in front of him as he faithfully wrote down the key notes to what their biology teacher was saying. Bella wanted to snort and laugh and tell Edward how ridiculous he was being because Keno was as dangerous as a newborn kitten. She thought back to earlier that morning and the feeling Keno had given her before swallowing her statement and nodding slightly, turning her attention back onto Mr. Patterson.

Edward walked Bella and Keno to their next class - English. Edward was still frowning, Keno was still silent, shoulders hunched, and Bella was still confused, mulling over her thoughts. Angelia, Mike, and Jessica made up for the other three students' silent and strained behavior, though even they were more subdued than normal and Angelia kept repeating the same story. Edward dropped Bella off at the front door, just as the warning bell rang, placing a light kiss on her lips and reminding her quietly to be careful before disappearing to his own class.

Their teacher decided to open the class with a discussion on love, calling on students at random to give their personal definition of the word and their views on it. Bella was lucky enough to be chosen first. "Love's important," she started, thinking of Edward and everything they'd been through. "The most important thing in the world. Everyone needs to be loved and cared for. If they're not their life will never be complete." Her statements were short, but the belief behind them showed through.

Surprisingly Keno raised his hand and surprised the teacher called on him. "You don't need love," He started, voice as soft as always, though his own conviction was clear. It seemed he and Bella were quite the opposite of one another. "To survive. Love's a cheap emotion that makes you like someone when its more infatuation and lust than actual caring." He stared at the teacher as he spoke, though Bella was sure Keno was speaking to her directly. "No one can truly love someone more than themselves, we all have survival instincts and are selfish. You may die for your love, but you are not doing it for them, not really. You are doing it because they'll remember you forever more because of it. Look at Romeo and Juliet for example, they may be fictional, but everyone still sighs over their tragic love story." That was the most Bella had heard him speak, she frowned deeply, wondering what could cause the quiet and polite boy to be so jaded. Maybe his last girlfriend had broken his heart and that was why he was so adamant about not wanting to date anyone when Jessica asked him that morning.

After a mild silence their teacher called on someone else and the discussion picked up pace once more. Keno remained silent throughout the rest of the class, writing in a notebook that Bella glanced upon, but couldn't read. The page was full of symbols and caricatures, Japanese writing Bella realized. When the bell rang once more, signaling lunch for the seniors Bella packed her things up and moved out of the room, waiting by the door for Edward. As soon as Keno past the pair he stopped, frowning lightly. He pulled a slim white and pale blue phone from his pocket and answered it. He seemed shocked that someone was calling him, then his entire body seemed to tighten for a few moments before relaxing. He chatted for a few minutes in - what Bella presumed to be Japanese - before hanging up the phone and looking at Bella. "Ah, where is the parking lot from here? I've gotten lost and Mareo wants to take me out to lunch." His smile was bright and genuine for once. Mareo apparently made Keno's day with whatever they'd spoken about on the phone.

"I'll walk you." Edward offered politely. "I need to get my lunch out of my car anyway." He kissed Bella on the cheek. "I'll see you in the lunch room." Bella's brown eyes widened marginally, but she nodded her head and started off towards the cafeteria. Glancing back behind her she watched teh two walk away, Edwards looking like every muscle in his body was tensed and ready to spring, Keno looking just as uncomfortable and ready to run at the slightest sign of danger.

Neither spoke as Edward led Keno to the parking lot, the five foot seven Asian boy following two steps behind and to the right of Edward, head down. Edward watched Keno climb into the same Lexus that dropped him off that morning and then turned swiftly on his heel and walked back inside the building. While he couldn't read Keno's mind, he could read Mareo's, and something had to be done about the glimpse he'd gotten from the older man. He searched through the school, finding Alice's mind easily and sending her a message that they needed to return home now and have a talk. He listened to Alice's mental nod of approval before climbing into his car and waiting on his siblings to join him.

Once the four vampires were back in their home and lounging in the living room with everyone save Dr. Cullen present (due to work, though Esme called him and he said he would be home as soon as possible) Edward began to explain things. "Akeno Miyamoto is the new kid," This statement did not make the other vampires look anymore impressed. "His mind is like Bella's, I can't read his thoughts. While Bella's mind is just blank, Akeno's is similar to swimming through black tar: suffocating and tiring. Both Bella and I are suspicious of him and several of the students are uncomfortable, though he's nothing more than human. I walked him outside before lunch where he was meeting with his guardian." The last word was spat out, sounding more like a curse than a title.

"I could read that man's mind. He is sick, perverted, and disgusting. I doubt anything a rouge new-born could do would be worse than the things he's done or imagined doing. Akeno is a kidnapping victim." This caught the other's interest as head's snapped in Edward's direction, minds stopped wandering. "He's been brain-washed." Edward paused. "From what I gathered from Mareo's mind he's been that monster's prisoner for at least three years, if not more. He has Stockholm Syndrome and is completely loyal to Mareo and will not make a single decision unless he asks Mareo first." Mareo reminded Edward of the evil-doers he used to kill, when he still hunted human blood, bile rose in his throat as he continued to remember the flashes of what he'd picked up from Mareo's disturbed mind.

Jasper spoke first, tactical mind working. "There could be a problem with Akeno's medical records, since I'm an office aid after lunch. The school could be nice enough to even schedule an appointment with Dr. Cullen to give Akeno a physical. He wouldn't be able to return to school unless his medical records are up to date." Edward nodded his head, offering his brother a worried smile and incline of his head in a silent thanks.

While the Cullen coven was a family of vampires, that did not mean they would sit idly by and watch as someone suffered and they could do something about it. Forks was their territory and they would defend it against the darker things in life, whether that was rouge vampires, the Voltori, or human offenders. Edward had shown his courageous and knight-in-shining-armor complex once already in saving Bella from the gang of young men one night in Port Angeles. With that decided the vegetarian vampires returned to Edward's car and drove back to the school in time for Edward to tell Bella a very censored version of events before they were whirled away to their next class and events for an intervention were set in motion.

**A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW.

I need to know if just one person likes this as to whether or not I'll continue this. And the vampires will contain a more major role in the next chapters, after all this was just the set-up so to speak. If I don't care if you're flaming me or what, I just want reviews.


	2. Where The Wild Roses Grow

**A/N: **So, major luffs for my first reviewer: gibrat15 aka Genisi, as well as Sensei hitokage aka Ice and last but not least, Kumiko 1906. Dedication to you three for this second chapter, I hope this one is just as interesting, if shorter because its 3:37 AM and I am dead tired.

I was wondering what you guys thought about going every other chapter from a different scene. Like Akeno and Mareo went to lunch, do you want to see that? Do you want flashbacks to explain how Akeno and Mareo came together and in the States? Should those scenes and their back story be in a different fic?

Waiting for replies from you and I've already started work on the third chapter. Its already over 1,2000 words and I've barely started it. Depending on your views I might make chapter three into chapter four and go into more detail on Akeno and Mareo's relationship.

...

I wonder how much I could get away with if I bumped the rating up to M, does anyone really understand the rating system? And be warned if you see more of Akeno and Mareo alone it will be dark and depressing and warped cause Akeno is sickeningly loyal to Mareo. Its disgusting and rather romantic in a very disturbed way.

I'll give you guys a teaser in hopes you'll give me your input. Remember, this may be chapter three if you want to get to know Mareo and Akeno better.

**Words:** 2044

**Prompt:** None I can think of, for once.

**_Disclaimer:_** If I owned Twilight, vampires would be more evil than Mareo and completely own the world. And there would be a TON of references to Anne Rice in the books cause that woman is the goddess of vampire fiction. If you haven't read her books do because they're epically amazing and far more detailed than the Twilight series.

Bella watched Akeno like a hawk through the rest of the day, looking for signs of abuse or mistreatment. She didn't see any bruises or scars on him while they were in gym, he could move like any other of the athletic boys in their class. She did notice how withdrawn and quiet he was, she'd just put that down to being shy and in a new school before Edward had told her. How were you supposed to ask someone if they were being abused? Bella barely knew Akeno and that wasn't something you could ask someone just out of the blue. She wanted Akeno to come to her with his problems, she wanted him to trust him, then she could help him. Aside from his one out-burst in English he barely spoke and didn't offer his opinions unless called upon, even then his statements were neutral and revealed very little about his own views. At the end of the day everyone was complaining about homework, wishing for the weekend, and making plans for after school. Bella saw her opening and decided to take it. "Keno," The two of them were walking towards the parking lot, Bella to Edward's car and Keno to his ride. "What are you doing later?"

Keno seemed surprised that she asked this and stopped walking, staring at Bella oddly for a few moments before recovering himself. "Ah, I'm not sure really. Mareo and I still have things to unpack and we have that English assignment and that chapter to read in History." He offered her a bashful smile, hand moving to his pocket once more as he toyed with whatever he had inside there. Bella wondered what it was, she'd never seen him take it out, but noticed he played with it when he was nervous.

"I could help you with it. I've lived in the US my entire life so, if you need help catching up on some stuff..." Bella trailed off, doe brown eyes looking at Akeno pleadingly.

Akeno looked nervous for once, he withdrew the item he was always playing with from his pocket. It was a length of chain, thick links that looked to be from a leash. His mouth mumbled words as his fingers sifted through the links, Bella realized he was counting them. "T-thanks for your offer, Bella. Maybe some other time, once we're all unpacked. The house looks like a wreck right now and its kind of embarrassing." He tried to brush her off kindly and Bella frowned.

They reached the doors, walking through to the parking lot and the over-cast sky. Bella spotted the Lexus Akeno had been dropped off in that morning, almost before Akeno himself. Instead of walking to where Edward was leaning against his car, looking like some kind of super model, Bella followed Akeno. With a bright smile on her face and a bounce in her step she watched Akeno get into the car then acted as if she forgot something and waved, running towards him. Luckily, as she started sliding on the payment the side of the car broke her face. Akeno's window rolled down and as Bella leaned against the door, catching her breath, she got a look at Akeno's abuser.

The most frightening thing about him was how normal he looked. Bella had expected his outward appearance to reflect who he was on the inside, though she should have learned better once she knew that vampires existed. The perfect human killing predator in a nice and pretty package that left every human in it's wake drooling and stumbling over themselves, like lambs to the slaughter. The man was middle-aged, younger than either of Bella's own parents with a head of umber brown hair cut close to his face, his eyes were the same shade of brown and slightly angular and very friendly looking. A Roman's nose that was slightly crooked sat above thin smiling lips, flashing perfect white teeth. He was lightly tanned - from what Bella could see - and dressed in a suit that looked like something only the Cullens could afford. "Yes?" His voice was smooth and slightly deep with no hint of an accent, unlike Akeno's.

"I-I-I," Bella sputtered, realizing that she was staring and unable to help herself. He looked like anyone on the street, she would have walked by him everyday and thought nothing of it. This was too much for her human brain to process, sure he wasn't going to have 'DANGEROUS' tattooed on his forehead in bold, neon colors, but there should have been some sign! Bella thought back to a program on A&E that Charlie had watched one night, it spoke of the most infamous and dangerous serial killers in America. Everyone always had the same thing to say: _"He was such a nice boy, awfully quiet. Waved hello to me every day and offered to mow my lawn. Such a shame, are you sure he did it?" _

"I," She took a deep breath before plunging ahead. "I'm Bella Swan, my dad's Charlie the town sheriff." She wondered why she felt safer telling this dangerous man that her father was the law. The police had (obviously) not helped Akeno out any.

"And?" The man arched an eyebrow at her, eyes laughing at Bella, believing that the girl thought herself to be important. Bella felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment, what was it with this man and making you feel like you were worth nothing? Did he make Akeno feel that way? Was that why the boy didn't run away? Bella's doe brown eyes glanced at her classmate. He was looking down into his lap, fingers running over the links in the chain like a devout nun over her rosary. The entire situation made Bella's mouth dry and her stomach queasy, she wanted to run away and never look back, but she had to help Akeno.

Squaring her shoulders and staring the man in the eye she continued. "Since Keno's," She watched a flicker pass over the man's eyes, too quickly for her to identify the emotion. "New in school and pretty much to America I offered to help him out after school. But then the bell rang and I kinda forgot to ask what time would be good for him," She offered a false smile, weak around the edges, Bella wasn't one to lie. "I was running off to see my boyfriend." She gestured back to Edward, who hadn't moved a muscle since Bella had approached the car, she wondered if he could hear their conversation.

The chuckle that left Mareo's lips was condescending and made Bella's skin crawl. If anyone else heard it they probably wouldn't have thought a thing about it, but Bella knew. She knew that the kind smile and warm eyes was just a mask and the man was more of a monster than any vampire she'd ever met, James included. Those disturbingly kind and warm brown eyes stared Bella over for a long silent moment before Mareo spoke again. "I don't see that as being a problem. I'm sure you know where our home is. We should be moved in completely by Saturday, so coming over around dinner time would be a good idea. Say, seven?" Bella watched Akeno through Mareo's monologue, not once did the man glance at Akeno for his opinion on having his own friend over. Akeno never spoke up, though his body did tense up at the mention of Bella going to his home.

What would she see there? Bella knew that it wouldn't look like a dungeon or a mad scientist's lair, but she couldn't keep all the fear out of her voice when she nodded her head. "Great." She didn't even try to smile this time, instead she just turned around and almost ran back to Edward's car and hid in his arms, shaking. She had stared the devil in the face and agreed to walk into Hell, alone. Bella really didn't have a survival instinct as Edward was always claiming or maybe she was just that much of a trouble magnet.

"Shh," Edward's voice was soft, his skin cold and hard as Bella clenched her fist into his shirt, uncaring that people were staring at them. None of them had any idea on how terrified she'd been. Of course Mareo had no idea that she knew about his real relationship with Akeno, but what if he did? Bella knew he would try to kill her if he did know. Bella recognized the look in his eyes. It was obsession, the same kind of look that James had given her when he caught her scent on the wind. Except it wasn't Bella on the receiving end of that look, it was Akeno. And for some reason Bella was more afraid now than when she'd had the tracker chasing her halfway across the United States.

Bella didn't realize until she was home later that night, making dinner for Charlie, that Akeno hadn't even acknowledged her presence while she'd been speaking to Mareo and Mareo had never even glanced at Akeno. She thought back to what she knew about kidnap victims and slaves and abuse victims, which wasn't too terribly much. She thought that Akeno would have gone out of his way to keep her away from Mareo or something. She finished making the chicken Alfredo and Charlie still wasn't home, so she put a plate in the microwave for him, then carried her own bowl upstairs.

Bella booted up her laptop then ate as she waited for it to connect to the internet. She really needed to talk to Charlie about getting U-verse from AT&T or just anything other than the slow as molasses in January dial-up connection she had now. Bella went to Goggle and typed in 'kidnap victim' then scrolled through the pages of news articles, looking for something more informative. She frowned at one of the links that read: **Love and Stockholm Syndrome: The Mystery of Loving an Abuser** in bright blue hyperlink text. "Stockholm Syndrome?" She read aloud before clicking on the link and reading the four page report by Joseph M. Carver, PhD.

**A/N: **The report I'm talking about is real and can be found here: http : // www . mental-health-matters . com/ index . php ?option= com _content &view =article &id =167


	3. Beauty From Pain

**A/N: **I want to get this chapter out because I have to go see my parents later today. My sister is turning 17, so I kinda have to be there. This means I'm either going to write and post like a mad woman or post nothing at all. It all depends on what the family decides to do.

Oh and I don't have a Beta, I have WordPad, Firefox spell check, and an online word counter. So, if anyone's interested in reading this before other people and correcting any mistakes and getting random ideas bounced off of them at ungodly hours of the morning (I see to write best then) then drop me a line, my e-mail's in the first chapter author's note.

And before I forget the chapter titles are song titles that have nothing to do with that chapter, but fit Mareo and Akeno's relationship. S.O.S. (Anything But Love) by Apocalyptica featuring Cristina Scabbia actually inspired Willow and I to create Mareo and Akeno.

Last note, Willow's friend made pictures of Akeno and Mareo, the links are at the bottom on my profile.

**Words:** 2,898

**Prompt: **None I can think of, for once.

_Disclaimer:_ If I owned Twilight vampires would not sparkle and Amelia Atwater-Rhodes books would have several cameo appearances.

The car ride from Forks High School to Mareo and Akeno's new home was spent in silence, not because Mareo was upset with Akeno or either had a lot on their minds, but because neither felt the need or want to speak. Words weren't required in their relationship, Mareo acted one way and Akeno automatically changed his own actions to better please Mareo. That was how it always had been and always would be, nothing could convince Akeno to leave Mareo. For without Mareo Akeno wouldn't exist, at least that's what Akeno believed after his life with Mareo started. Akeno watched the sky, light frown marring his features and causing one to reflect on Mareo's own face when the older man glanced at Akeno. "I'm sorry there's no sun for you." Mareo's voice was soft, but Akeno's body jerked and he turned around, hearing the words as if they were yelled at him. Akeno was always hyper-aware of everything Mareo did, if he wasn't Akeno doubted that he would still be alive.

Akeno said nothing for minutes on end, gray eyes lined in black staring at Mareo's profile as the other drove. He opened his mouth a few times, then closed it, unsure of what to say. Mareo did not apologize for things, subconsciously a hand crept down to Akeno's left hip where the only scar Mareo had ever given him lay, it was also the only time Mareo had apologized to him. "I," Akeno started then stopped, shifting in his seat so he could lean against Mareo, taking a guess as to Mareo's current mood. It appeared he was correct as Mareo let go of the steering wheel with his right hand to wrap an arm around Akeno's shoulders. "Its alright." Akeno leaned into Mareo's side as the older man played with his hair, Mareo liked it somewhat long. "Its my fault we had to move." When Mareo's grip tightened in Akeno's hair, just a hair's breath away from painful, Akeno realized his mistake. He tried to stutter out an apology, but the hand gripped his hair harder and he shut up, resisting the urge to bite his lip, Mareo didn't like that.

"Its not your fault," Mareo's careful mask dropped and he was once more the cold bastard that had kidnapped and reprogramed a fifteen-year-old. "Its that bastard Ari's fault." The hand tightened its grip again, causing tears to form in Akeno's eyes. "Not your's. **Never**," His voice was as harsh as his grip on Akeno's hair. "Apologize for something you didn't do wrong." It was a lesson that Akeno should have known, brown eyes glanced at the younger boy and reminded him of this. Akeno wondered what his punishment for forgetting such an important lesson would be once they reached their home. "If you did something wrong I would tell you." Mareo sighed and let go of Akeno's hair, pushing the boy away from him and pulling into their drive way. "I would think that you would have learned that by now." There was a disappointed tone in Mareo's voice that sent a knife straight into Akeno's heart and caused his an almost physical pain, much worse than having his hair pulled.

Akeno swallowed another apology and watched Mareo get out of the car. Mareo didn't like apologies, he said if you were really sorry you wouldn't have done it in the first place. Slowly and looking something like a kicked puppy Akeno grabbed his back pack and followed Mareo up the drive and to the front door. Mareo stood on the front porch waiting for him, that gave Akeno some heart. If Mareo was letting him unlock the door he couldn't be too upset with what Akeno said, maybe he'd have a light punishment. If Akeno was lucky he would get to choose, he didn't bother hoping or praying that he wouldn't be tied up. That's what scared him the most and his fear is what Mareo relished in, but they might be able to compromise. If he made a good dinner that night or Mareo was tired from work then having to unpack the rest of their things maybe the handcuffs wouldn't be involved. Akeno hated nothing more than being unable to move and Mareo knew that and used it to his advantage quite often.

Akeno slipped a chain from around his neck, on it were two different keys, both engraved with two dates. One was the day that Mareo had first given him a key so he could come and go from their home as he pleased, the second was the day that Akeno showed he really would never leave Mareo and the day that they had to leave Tokyo. Akeno relished the small 'click' that signaled the lock sliding back into the door before he opened it. He slipped inside, hurrying to the one room in the house that Mareo had dubbed his 'domain', the kitchen. The house was dull in color: all of it was gray, white, black, or chrome. Mareo said that the only color he needed in his life was the red of Akeno's blood and for some reason, Akeno no longer was worried by the macabre statement. "Homework, then dinner." Mareo's voice was still cold as he walked past Akeno and up the stairs, probably to finish setting up his study. Akeno winced at the tone of voice and the clipped words, he really had upset Mareo it seemed. Akeno set the timer on the stove, giving himself an hour before he started cooking dinner. He pulled a bar stool up to the dark granite island and fished out his History book. the fish was already out thawing from that morning. Akeno was glad he'd chosen to make Mareo's favorite that morning or else he wasn't sure what sort of shape he would be in for school tomorrow.

Should he remind Mareo that he would have to be in school the next day? Mareo wouldn't blame Akeno if he was hurt too badly, Mareo's logic was strange like that. If Akeno did something wrong, he was punished, simple no? But nothing was so black and white in their little world of obsession and need and control. If Akeno did something wrong that Mareo had told him not to do, he was punished. However, if he upset Mareo by taking a vague order in the wrong way, he would not be punished. However if he was going to be punished then angered Mareo his punishment would be worse. Akeno was so used to this confusing and twisted kind of logic that he no longer walked on egg shells consciously around Mareo, it was just a part of who he was now, just like the scar on his hip. It was who he became to please Mareo the best.

The buzzer went off right as Akeno was reading about slavery, Abraham Lincoln, and the Civil War. The small young man climbed off of the stool, turning the timer off, before gathering and putting his school things away. One of the first lessons he'd learned was that there was a place for everything and everything in it's place, it was a small comfort to Akeno now it meant that as long as Mareo was in this world Akeno's place would be by his side. Akeno still hadn't touched his English assignment, he didn't know what to do about it. Love meant nothing to him, he didn't love Mareo and Mareo didn't love him, but they needed one another and Mareo was obsessed with Akeno and their relationship worked that way. If one loved the other everything would change, Akeno's hands shook at the very thought of it happening, everything he had learned and done would be meaningless then. Besides, people fell in and out of love all of the time, if Mareo loved him now that did not really mean he would love him forever. And without Mareo Akeno wouldn't exist, that was something that Akeno firmly believed, he was too broken to be a whole person again and he did not care. He never thought about the time in his life before Mareo, even when he was forced to the memories were blurry and incomplete. Mareo was the only thing important to Akeno, the sun in his universe for without the sun life could not exist.

Akeno had dinner (unagi no kabayaki or grilled eel with vegetables and rice) on the table at exactly half-past seven. Mareo came down the stairs looking fresh from a shower, which shocked Akeno. It was the first time he hadn't heard Mareo in the shower in five years, this house and its thicker walls would take some getting used to. Mareo went to the liquor cabinet and stared at the different labels for a long time, fingers tapping on the counter-top as he thought. Mareo settled on two glasses of sweet rice wine since it was already open, Akeno had to use some to make the proper sauce for the eel glaze. Mareo returned to the table, where Akeno was waiting for him and placed the glasses down. He sat down and took a bite of his food, slowly chewing it, finally he spoke. "You did good." Akeno smiled happily at the compliment - Mareo did not give them out often - and started eating his own food. However, it seemed that silence would not reign forever in their new home. "I don't like that Bella girl." Akeno glanced up, seeing Mareo's eyes cold and dead, reflecting everything and showing nothing of what was going on inside his head. Akeno studied his body language for a hint as to Mareo's mood, finding nothing promising he decided to remain silent. "She is like you," Akeno nearly dropped his chopsticks, face pale and showing fear as he looked back up at Mareo. The older man laughed, as if it were some big joke. "I don't want her," He reached a hand out caressing Akeno's cheek. "Why would I need her when I have you?" Akeno nearly purred, his sudden worried quelled by those few words. "I meant that she is weak," Akeno didn't twitch at the statement, it was the truth after all. Akeno was weak and Mareo was strong, Akeno was only strong when Mareo made him so. "And she is curious. I'm not sure I want her to be involved in your life when I'm not around." Akeno nodded his head, that would be hard considering they had the same classes, but Akeno knew Mareo would figure a solution out, he always did.

"I like her boyfriend even less." That statement made Akeno pause, mushroom halfway between his mouth and the bowl. He tilted his head to the side, making a curious noise in the back of his throat, encouraging Mareo to continue. Akeno liked it when Mareo spoke to him like this, included him and asking his opinion on things. Akeno was allowed to help make some decisions and even if Mareo decided against Akeno's words he would still remember them. It made Akeno feel important because for every little thing he knew about Mareo, Mareo knew just as much about him. One out of necessity and the other out of obsessive need, though which was which this far into their relationship was up for debate. "He reminds me too much of myself. The way he moves and stares, I would peg him for some great feline rather than another human being." Akeno nodded, putting his chopsticks down and reaching for the rice wine Mareo had given him. "Stay away from him at all costs." Mareo's sharp eyes warned Akeno that if Akeno did not comply with this order the punishment would be severe. "The last thing I need is someone else trying to take you away from me."

Akeno finished with his food, put his silverware down and nodded solemnly, looking at Mareo just as intently as Mareo had stared at him a few moments before. "I won't let anyone take me away from you." His normally quiet voice was stern with self-conviction. Ari tried to take Akeno away from Mareo several times in the past. Ari was from Before (what Akeno dubbed his life pre-Mareo) or so Mareo and Ari had told Akeno, personally he couldn't remember. Akeno was very important to Ari, so important that Ari tried to steal Akeno from Mareo as Mareo had five years before. The only thing Ari did not count on was how much Akeno needed Mareo to continue existing, Akeno had gotten back to Mareo eventually and Ari would never trouble them again. When Akeno had told Mareo what he had done, he'd never seen Mareo happier even when Akeno had said that he needed Mareo as much as Mareo needed him. Mareo had proof then, that Akeno would never leave him or be taken away without fighting back. The pair had to leave Tokyo though and Akeno already missed it. This place was so quiet and so dim, he missed the big city where day was as bright as night and the city never slept. Akeno resisted the urge to blame himself as he sat, waiting for Mareo to finish his own food. Mareo said that it was not his fault, so it wasn't, that was just something Akeno would have to remind himself of until he knew it as well as any other of Mareo's rules.

Mareo finally pushed his bowl away and Akeno was quick to reach for it, but Mareo snagged his wrist, jerking Akeno towards him and causing the smaller man to loose his balance and fall onto Mareo's lap. "Dishes later." Mareo's voice was rumbling quiet, like a great lion purring. "I want to play now." He looked up at Akeno, who's cheeks tinted pink as he giggled softly. Whatever had happened Mareo's bad mood had disappeared and Akeno might be able to scrape by tonight without a punishment. Akeno placed his hands on either side of Mareo's shoulders, waiting for him to move. Just because he looked like he was in a good mood did not mean that Akeno could take liberties, that was another rule. Mareo let go of Akeno's wrist and cupped the back of his neck, pulling him into a kiss. "After your punishment, of course." Akeno's heart dropped to his stomach, but he nodded his head, he deserved it after all, Mareo only punished him when he did something wrong. Akeno stood and Mareo took his hand, leading him up the stairs and to their room. Akeno wished that (what he called) the cabinet of doom hadn't been able to come with them to the States. He hated that sleek black cabinet with its large silver padlock more than anything in his life, because inside it was where Mareo kept all of his tools that he used to punish Akeno. One of Akeno's first lessons was that Mareo always knew what he was doing that could cause maximum amount of pain or pleasure or a mix of the two and leave little to no evidence behind.

A/N: And that's all you get if we want to keep the T-rating. So, you know have a bit more insight as to who Mareo is and how he and Akeno fit together in their relationship.

Question: Should one of the Cullens be spying on the two of them?

unagi no kabayaki recipe = http :// japanesefood. about. com /od /seafoodfish /r /unagistirfry. htm

Also, when the two are alone, they'll be speaking in their native tongue of Japanese. I just didn't want to stare at a bunch of italics, though I will make them italic in the future if there are English conversations going on around them or an English speaking character in the room. I find it pointless, tacky, and tasteless to put random Japanese words into a story, I'm not Japanese and if you really want to know what something means then Google it. Didn't mean to sound snappy, but its 6:35 AM here and I've been up all night.


	4. Not Quite Edan Part One

**A/N: **My mom had a heart attack and had to be air lifted to a major hospital in Houston, so this is a SUPER short and not even finished chapter, or even spell-checked. Willow is being amazing right now and has practically moved in with me and my sisters. My two sisters Chelsea (17) and Aimee (12) are staying with me while Dad stays in Houston to be close to my mom. Willow is super and if she was bi and it was legal I'd marry her, she's helping keep me from falling to pieces right now. My mom is only 37 (she had me when she was 16), so yeah. Up-dates will be short and sparratic and all that garbage for a while. Sorry this up-date is crap, hope you guys can understand. I just wanted to put this out cause I don't know when I can get on my laptop to finish it.

You're learn more about Ari in later chapters, don't worry. Giving it away now would be wasteful and ruin a future plot.

**Words:**

**Prompt: **None I can think of, for once.

_Disclaimer:_ If I owned Twilight there would be more real things in the high school, like drugs users, wild parties, and teenagers being real teenagers, not emo little girls dependant upon someone else to save them.

Jasper finally left the Miyamoto's home as the first fingers of dawn were stretching across the sky adn dew was still soaking thr ground, covered by a pre-dawn mist. The normally pragmatical, aloof, and logical member of the Cullen coven was at a loss. Even he could not make heads or tails of the two newest members of Forks, Washington. He knew of cults, brainwashing techniques, and even stockholm syndrome, but it was quite different to read about a subject than to see it in real life. The entire situation was akin to trying to solve a puzzle in the dark while on a time limit with missing pieces. The most frustrating thing for the southern vampire was one simple word: _Why?_ He was not interested in why Mareo chose Akeno or why Mareo chose to abuse him or even why Akeno stayed. No, the empathic vampire wanted to know why Mareo was more sadistic an individual than most of the vampires that Jasper had ever had the displeasure of being introduced to. He wanted to know why a human mind would become so warped by (from what anyone could gather on the pair of them) a normal childhood. The empathic vampire would get the answer to his question and he would tell Edward that he was not going to spend another night doing guard duty over the pair of humans either. Edward might have been off-put by reading Mareo's mind, but he did not have to _feel_ what the pair were feeling the entire night. The constant fear that not even Jasper's powers could completely chase away from Akeno's mind had given Jasper a headache from over-exposure.

At exactly five o'clock that morning - mere moments after Jasper left the Miyamoto residence - Mareo felt something vibrating around his side. Resisting the urge to groan he rolled over, unwrapping his arms from around Akeno's smaller form. Blindly he groped for his cell phone that somehow fell off the nightstand and into bed with them some time during the night. "Hello?" He sat up, rubbing his eyes, voice thick with sleep. Next to him Akeno opened his own eyes, looking questioningly at Mareo, fear running rampent in his pale gray eyes. Distractedly, Mareo reached for the nightstand, feeling the length of chain that Akeno always carried around with him, before handing it to the boy. Taking the chain in his hand as if it were a lifeline Akeno began counting, fingers running over each link in the chain, eyes closed, and mouthing the number of each length. "Mariko, its five o'clock in the morning." Mareo paused holding the phone away from his voice as a loud and femine voice could be heard on the phone, yelling. Finally, the woman called Mariko seemed done yelling and Mareo put the phone back to his ear. "I'm glad the kids are alright, but for the need of all that's pure and light in this world never call me this early again." Mareo frowned as the yelling started once more, he interupted the woman. "Its early here! Take your time, subtract twelve hours then you'll know what time of day it is here." He smirked nastily. "Yeah '_Oh_'. The sun's not even up yet." He snorted at something she said. "Morning wood wouldn't have woken me up for another hour at least." He yawned loudly, whether it was because he was tired or wanted to make a point to Mariko was anyone's guess. Akeno, recognising who was on the phone, dropped the chain and laid his head in Mareo's lap, staring up at him. Lazily, Mareo began to card his fingers lightly through Akeno's hair. "Yeah, I might as well hop in the shower, here's Akeno."

Akeno sat up quickly and Mareo slid off of the bed, tossing Akeno the thin, black cell phone. "Hey Mariko." Akeno's voice was as soft as always, he was more of a morning person than Mareo ever would be. Standing, the teen shivered against the cold. He didn't sleep with a shirt on and hadn't in years. Mareo thought it brought him too much comfort and took it from him, besides he liked to be able to touch Akeno's skin whenever he wanted. At least Akeno didn't have to sleep in the nude, something he was very grateful for. "Hold on Mari, I'm going to put a top on." Putting the phone carefully on the nightstand (after all it was Mareo's and if Akeno broke it even accidentily he knew there would be Hell to pay) he walked into the bathroom, Mareo never closed the door. Retrieving his robe and glancing at Mareo in the shower Akeno left the bathroom, picking the phone back up. "I'm back." He smiled lightly as Mariko's inner-mother came out and she began asking him all kinds of questions about his life, school, and of course Mareo. She said nothing of Ari or what the police were doing and if they questioned her or not. Mariko did speak of her three children and her husband, her father, and her psychotic mother as Akeno wandered downstairs to fix Mareo's morning coffee before making his own breakfast. When Mareo came downstairs, Akeno cut the conversation short, saying that he had to get ready for class, then hung up the phone. Mariko was a nice woman, most of the time, but she could talk until your ears were bleeding. "Your sister's odd." Akeno said with a small smile as Mareo made a bee-line for the coffee machine and drank his first cup all in one go, before getting a second and leaning against the island as Akeno munched on his toast.

Mareo chuckled and shrugged lightly. "She's my twin, could you expect anything less?"

Akeno smiled softly, going back to his toast. That was a true statement, while Mareo was a predator all of the time with only the mask of kindness Mariko bounced back and forth between the two personas without much warning. Strangely, Akeno had only met the woman after his third year in Mareo's care, he had no idea about any of Mareo's family before then. The woman entered his life in a wirlwind of loud noise, hugs, and affection the same day that Ari found Akeno once more. Often Akeno wondered if Mareo had planned it all, then dismissed the thought. Mareo would never have allowed someone else to get so close to his Akeno just to introduce his little obsession to his sister, who was equally warped, if not more so. She was the older one of the pair and Akeno had been shocked by her apparence. She and Mareo looked identical to one another - Akeno had no idea at the time that they were twins - and her harsh words and commands actually comforted Akeno in that confused time when he was without Mareo. Mareo had been dealing with the problem that was Ari and so Akeno was left with his twin, the only one who wouldn't do a thing to interfear with their relationship, unless it was to help Mareo, law be damned. Akeno finished his toast and rinsed the dish off, bending over to put it in the dishwasher before arms encircled his waist. "Play time?" He asked, leaning his head against Mareo's shoulder so he could look the older man in the eye.

Mareo smirked, leaning down to steal a heated kiss. "You read my mind." The pair didn't even make it upstairs and Akeno was sure he was going to have a bruise from where the countertop dug into his lower back, but it didn't matter, Mareo was happy.

**A/N: **


End file.
